Adam Corfield, Boeing 777 pilot and head of global sales at Aviramp, talks to Madison James on The Aviation Briefing podcast
Inside the terminal, airport accessibility has never been better. Step outside onto the tarmac, and it’s a different story.
That’s the view of Adam Corfield, head of global sales at Aviramp, speaking on The Aviation Briefing podcast. In the UK, the Civil Aviation Authority’s latest airport accessibility report recorded 5.9 million requests for passenger assistance, alongside the strongest accessibility performance on record. Adam sees a similar picture at airports around the world but argues that progress stops at the gate.
‘“The biggest blind spot is once passengers leave the terminal,” he said.
“Walk into an airport today and everything is about assistance, the lifts, the support, it all works. Get out onto the ramp and it’s an afterthought. The traditional methods, high lifts, are still in use right across the world, and rising passenger numbers are putting more demand on them every year.”
Aviramp’s boarding ramps remove that bottleneck. They replace high lifts and steps with a single gentle slope of roughly 7.5 to 8 degrees. Five models cover every aircraft type.
“It’s effectively a mobile jet bridge for a remote stand,” Adam said. “You get all the benefits of a jet bridge without the need for high lifts or steps and their associated operational and maintenance costs.”
“And it works for wheelchair users, parents with children, anyone dragging luggage, without any manual lifting.”
Damage to mobility aids is one of aviation’s more overlooked safety and cost problems. UK figures cited on the podcast show more than 283,000 wheelchairs and mobility aids carried by major airlines in 2023, with at least 1,217 damaged. In the US, industry data puts the figure at roughly 1 in every 100 handled in 2025.
Aviramp’s answer is the Chairlifter, which removes manual handling of heavy electric mobility aids.
“One of the biggest causes of injury airside is manual lifting,” Adam explained.
“The batteries for electric mobility aids are getting bigger and heavier, and it can take four people to lift a 300 to 350 kilo chair onto a belt. That’s where the injuries and the chair damage can happen. The Chairlifter removes the need for any manual lifting.”
UK trials have already shown reduced injury risk and fewer damage claims. Adam believes the Chairlifter should become standard equipment: “It’s not a product through choice anymore. I think it’s a necessity.”
The industry agrees. Aviramp developed the Chairlifter because airlines and ground handlers asked it to, after struggling to handle these chairs safely.
Aviramp used the pandemic downturn to convert all five ramp models to solar power, a move Adam ties directly to the growth that followed. “We solve the problem, not just locally but worldwide, and we do it while promoting efficiency.”
Aviramp’s next targets are South America, following its first shipment to São Paulo, and Asia, alongside continued growth in North America and a fast-expanding Australian market. The company has also worked with Delta Air Lines to bring US World War II veterans back to Normandy, donating its largest International ramp model so frail veterans could disembark without a high lift.
“Everyone at Aviramp shares the same values,” Adam said.
“Seeing veterans who fought for our countries get the access they need, for us, that’s just amazing.”
Aviramp is developing compact ramps for the cargo sector and continues to push for wider adoption of the Chairlifter across airports worldwide. “I’d like to see Aviramp in every airport around the globe,” Adam said.